


New Thing Now

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Episode: s02e01 In the Shadow of Two Gunmen Part I, Pre-Episode
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-08-04
Updated: 2001-08-04
Packaged: 2019-05-15 13:43:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14791601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Everyone gets acclimated.This takes place the day before Day One of the Bartlet administration.





	New Thing Now

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

 

"New Thing Now"   
Category: General, teeny bit of J/D   
Rating: G   
Disclaimers: These characters are not mine & I'm not making any money off them so please don't throw me off the web. *coughWBcough* They're the property of Aaron Sorkin et al (NBC).   
Song: "New Thing Now" by Shawn Colvin.   
Spoilers: "In The Shadow of Two Gunmen"   
Summary: Everyone gets acclimated.   
Author's Note: This takes place the day before Day One of the Bartlet administration. 

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*   
This is your new thing now, naked as a rose   
Everything exposed, but not quite   
This is your new thing now, cards out on the table   
A genius with no label, but not quite...   
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

"I like it!" Josh Lyman exclaimed, inspecting his new office.

C.J. Cregg chuckled. "It's the White House, Josh. You'd work in a broom closet if you had to."

"True."

He would have said more, but suddenly they heard a shout. "Hey, Josh, come look at this!" Sam Seaborn called.

Josh and C.J. walked down the hall to where Sam was calling, and were equally impressed. The communications office was spacious and well-done. "Wow, I wish my people worked in an area as nice as this," Josh said.

"Isn't it great?" Sam couldn't keep the smile off his face.

The other man in the room was quieter but just as excited. "I think it will serve our purpose," said Toby Ziegler. His eyes danced.

"It's great." Josh said. He took a deep breath. The excitement was in his eyes. "From here, we will write the finest speeches in the land!"

"You mean *we* will," Sam corrected.

"Don't interrupt me in glory mode."

"Sorry."

"Anyway," C.J. said, sensing a time to change the subject, "let's go see my office."

"Okay." The four of them trooped down the hallway, which was becoming ever busier.

C.J. threw open the door that read PRESS SECRETARY � and exclaimed in fright when she saw a form reposing in her new chair.

"Aaah!" The man toppled over and onto the floor.

No one laughed. "Who are you?" Josh asked.

The man righted himself, smoothing his unkempt red hair. "I'm Danny Concannon, with the Washington Post."

"The Post?" C.J. echoed. She'd been surprised; now she was just mad. "What the hell are you doing back here?"

"I just wanted to welcome the new press secretary." There was a hint of mockery in his voice that irritated her.

"Well, you've welcomed me, now get out of here." C.J.'s tone brooked no argument.

Danny knew when to back down. "It was nice to meet you, Ms. Cregg."

"Call me C.J." Despite herself C.J. was smiling slightly. It took a special kind of weirdness to rebound from falling out of the new the press secretary's chair with charm.

"See you later, C.J." Danny said as he strolled out.

Josh, looking after him, voiced the thought. "Why do I get the feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of him than in the press room?"

No one responded and Toby changed the subject. "Josh, I will probably need to borrow your assistant for a while tomorrow if you don't mind." The last part was mere courtesy, Josh knew; Toby would borrow Donna if he needed her.

Still, he tried. "Mind?" he said sardonically. "Mind. No. Why would I mind? I'll only be trying to get some work done."

Toby waved a hand in the air irritably. "Leo's not going to need Margaret tomorrow. Borrow Margaret."

"Why?" Josh's voice was dangerously close to a whine. "Margaret doesn't know my filing system. She can't understand my handwriting."

"And," Sam whispered to C.J., "she doesn't bring the banter like a certain assistant we know."

It was common knowledge that Josh and his assistant, Donnatella "Donna" Moss were "a thing" deep in denial. She was the first assistant he'd had who could handle his moodswings and fits of temper. He was completely lost without her but would simply not admit it.

Josh sighed. "Fine. Borrow Donna, and if Leo wants to know why I can't get anything done, you answer him."

"Fine." Toby was unmoved; Josh would survive.

Silence reigned for a few minutes as they all sat down on C.J.'s new office furniture. Then Sam spoke again. "Hey, you guys, do you think you're ready for tomorrow?"

Josh snorted, an unbecoming sound. "Sam, we've been campaigning for this for a year and a half."

"That's not an answer to my question, though," Sam persisted. "Are we really ready for this? I mean, we've worked for it, but I think we're still a little scared."

C.J. pondered. "You know, this is disturbing, but I understand what he means." She paused, thinking how to say it. "What he means is that the only way to know if we can really do this is to do it."

"Leave it to Sam to get philosophical." Josh joked. "But actually, I guess that makes sense."

Finally Toby spoke. "I agree with Sam, and you know how that makes me crazy." He paused. "All I know is that I've waited for this, and it's gonna be a fight. But it's one I don't intend to lose."

"I'll go with that!" C.J. said. "I mean, God knows we've given things up."

"Yeah." Sam sighed, fleetingly thinking of a dark-haired woman. He shook his head, making the fantasy disappear. "But I think it might all be worth it."

"Who the hell knows?" Josh shrugged. "I say we just try and do this as best we can."

"Isn't that all we can do?" Sam said.

"Yes, it is." C.J.'s voice was final. "But you know what, guys?"

"What?"

"We've got one more day. So who wants to go to dinner right now and then go home for our last night of restful sleep for eight years?" C.J.'s smile was wicked.

"Jesus, don't say that!" Josh cried. "You'll jinx it, C.J.!"

It was Sam's turn to shrug. "Who the hell knows?" He headed towards the door. "Come on, I'll buy."

The four of them trooped out the door, a bit wiser and a whole lot more excited.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*   
This is your new thing now & it makes the whole world spin   
It's at least as old as sin, but not quite   
This is your new thing now & now you're turning grinning   
But maybe no one's listening   
& you might lose it all, my darling, yes you might...   
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*


End file.
